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The first Crysis was an amazing game. It set the bar so high for visual achievement, that only Crytek’s own CryEngine 2 was able to surpass it. Then came Crysis 2, the technological aspect of which was dumbed down a little to make the transition for the franchise to the console counterparts easier. This move was frowned upon by the CEO himself, and he vowed not to allow it to happen again with Crysis 3. If the early screenshots are in any indication, Crysis 3 is shaping up to be one of the most visually stimulating games of the contemporary gaming age.

The “sandbox shooter” is set in new York City again, in the year 2047, which has metamorphosed from an urban jungle to a literal one, courtesy of the massive dome that covers it. The exact plot details are sketchy at best, but the set up is certainly very exciting. The third game in the series will release in the spring of 2013. The game is already available for preorder though! The only downside is, you guessed it, Origin!

Following the The Motherload of Skyrim Screenshots, it’s only appropriate that I share this great post from Gameranx which details, uh, details from the French edition of the PS3 magazine about Skyrim and it’s game mechanics, features and plot.

I think it is safe to say that come the 11th of November, I will be saying goodbye to my friends and family for an indefinite period of time!

Here we go:

Once King of Skyrim was found dead, it sparked off a civil war

Quest givers can give you either more or less information regarding a quest

Taverns will play great role in the game since they will be locations whre players will overhear conversations, start quests, gain information and much more

Player can boost all perks to level 100 but can’t get all perks

Players will be able to cook, woodcut, mine and blacksmith

A settlement called Riverwood can be found in game

Some weapons will have concealed effects as long you don’t try them yourself

Magnetism will allow you to prevent friendly fire in combat

Each settlement will provide an unique feel

Wind will effect water stream

Dragon encounters won’t be scripted

One of the cities of Skyrim will be dedicated to the Dunmer while Haafingar will be the largest port available in game

Dwemer Ruins will be available in Skyrim

Weather effects will be a part of the game

Equipment can be repaired

Player can break into NPC houses or silently stalk them

Block mechanism can’t be used in combat as long player has a spell equipped to one of his character hands

Various different colors, rituals and other features will be added to each of the Nord factions available in game

Archers can hold their breath to boost accuracy

Ice Trap freezes an enemy when he walks over trap similar to WoW’s Ice Trap

Circle of Protection spell pushes surrounding enemies from player

Detect Life allows player to detect life in his vicinity most likely similar to tracking spells of hunter class in WoW

Courtesy of Attack of the Fanboy, here is a collection of a ton of screenshots from the latest Elder Scrolls title: Skyrim. Considering I played Oblivion and Morrowind more hours than I thought were humanly possible to spend in one game, I am guessing Skyrim will be the end of me.

The following two screenshots are the latest ones, as pointed out to me via this tweet, the gallery below is all the images could find up to now.

The latest trailer on the teaser Facebook page for the upcoming Assassin’s Creed game is short and sweet. Before we talk about anything else, watch the trailer below. It’s fairly short, only 10 seconds or so.

There are three interesting pieces of information in this video.

1. The Hagia Sofia

The first is the Hagia Sofia. Construction on the building first started in 562 A.D., it’s original purpose was to be an Eastern Orthodox Cathedral, which it remained (with a little break in between to be a Roman Catholic Church for about 57 years in-between) till 1453 A.D. It was converted to an Imperial Mosque by the Ottomans in 1493, and it served this function until 1931. It now stands as a museum.

2. The Numbers – 24061459

At first I though this would be a reference to the future of some sort, the year 2406, and something to do with Constantinople/Istanbul in 1459. But then I thought what it the numbers were actually 24.06.1459? June 24, 1459.

A quick search on Google revealed that to be the birthday of our favorite protagonist Ezio Audotore di Firenze.

Ezio was thus born a good six years after the Hagia Sofia was converted into an Imperial Mosque. This also implies that the Assassins had time to explore and uncover the secrets of the Templars buried inside Hagia Sofia for the near millennium it was a church. All of this transpired immediately before the birth of the chosen Assassin who would eventually speak to Minerva.

3. The Tughra

The Tughra is an calligraphic Ottoman seal, one made for each Ottoman ruler. Each king had one. Each seal had identical features called the

Straight from Wikipedia: “The tughra has a characteristic form, two loops on the left side, three vertical lines in the middle, stacked writing on the bottom and two extensions to the right. Each of these elements has a specific meaning, and together they make up the form that is easily recognizable as a tughra.”

Sere (name): Name of the Sultan, written on the bottom.

Beyze (egg): Two left loops, the outer larger loop signifying the Mediterranean and the inner, smaller loop signifying the Black Sea.

Tuğ: (flagstaff): Three vertical lines up top.

Zülfe: The S-shaped lines crossing the tuğ.

Hançer: Lines on the right-side, signifying power.

This is where things get interesting. In 1459, the Ottoman ruler was Mehmud the second. The following is a list of Ottoman rulers from the 15th through the early 17th centuries. Mehmud II is marked in red, as the Hagia Sofia was converted to an Imperial Mosque in his reign, as well as the birth and upbringing of Ezio. Ezio would be 22 years old when Mehmud II’s reign ended.

Interregnum

Mehmud I – 1413 – 1421

Murad II – 1421 – 1444

Mehmud II – 1444–1446

Murad II – 1446 – 1451

Mehmud II – 1451 – 1481

Bayezid II – 1481 – 1512

Selim I – 1512 – 1520

Suleiman I – 1520 – 1566

Selim II – 1566-1574

Murad III – 1574 – 1595

Mehmud III – 1595 – 1603

Like all other Ottoman rulers, his has a Tughra, but his Tughra looks nothing like the one depicted above. I have pasted it below, take a look:

A little more investigation revealed a Tughra that was closer in shape and structure to the one depicted in the video above. This Tughra belonged to Suleiman the Magnificient, the fifth successor after Mehmood II, who ruled between 1520 and 1566. His Tughra is below:

See the similarity?

Conclusion

The next installment of the Assassin’s Creed will feature Ezio in some capacity.

Some of the game’s timeline will occur between 1520 and 1566.

Suleiman the Magnificent will have something to do with it.

The Assassins will have uncovered something of significance from Hagia Sofia, perhaps another Piece of Eden or something even more powerful. But the Hagia Sofia plays into it somehow.

A ton of new screenshots reveal that Max Payne 3 will occur over a significant period of time. The fat and bald Max was released quite some time ago. He looks nothing like the protagonist from the first two game. Remedy is no longer making is. The setting isn’t New York. Is this really the third in a trilogy, or a new game altogether?